How Blue Jays Went From Zero To Hero
It has been a big week trade wise in Ontario and the Toronto Blue Jays have succeeded in giving fans a renewed faith. After a season of fans and experts talking about changes that needed to be made, GM Alex Anthopoulous has apparently been listening keenly. From out of nothing the last 48 hours have been a trade deadline whirlwind. On Wednesday, All Star short-stop Troy Tulowitzki was traded to Toronto from Colorado Rockies for Jose Reyes, Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman and Jesus Tinoco.
This move came a big but very welcome surprise to Jays fans and it is a move that has bolstered their already thriving offense. There were rumblings that Tulo wasn't made aware of the deal until moments before and that he wasn't at all happy. Any baseball fan could probably side with his mentality here because his entire career had been played at Coors Field. Despite any misgivings, he still gave Toronto fans a debut to remember with a home run blast in an 8-2 win over the Phillies. Given a standing ovation before his first at-bat, the Jays fans have already embrace this guy as one of them. Tulowitzki was a big chip for the Blue Jays to cash in and it was one that came at the cost of some interesting prospects.
Reyes had been popular with fans at the Rogers Centre since his arrival in 2012. However, even though he was a capable lead off hitter and had solid base running skills, the fielding errors were becoming too frequent. At Colorado he now has a new lease of life and even though he has a hard job winning over fans in Denver- his spirit and jovial persona will go a little way towards helping. One similarity that he shares with Tulowitzki is that both are prone to injury, a fact that has caused both sets of fans concerns! Castro and Hoffman had been continually mentioned as being a key part of the Jays future. The sad reality was that neither one was guarantee the game time they so badly needed. Hoffman had struggled with his arm since being drafted in 2014 and didn't seem ready for the show. Castro was given a brief taste of Major League action this year when he after an impressive debut against the Yankees, he was made closer almost immediately. The 20 year old had a powerful arm and a striking 6"5 frame, but when put into the pressure situation it was apparent he was way out of his depth. Although both fans and personnel hoped for a change, the Blue Jays were forced to send him down to Triple A level.
One major shock came today when after missing out on Cole Hamels to Texas, the Blue Jays snagged one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. David Price was traded from Detroit in exchange for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt. Toronto has needed another key starter outside of Mark Buerhle all season and Anthopoulous has pulled out the stops and gotten what his team needed. Norris was a star in spring training this year, but when moved to the starting rotation he just couldn't find the spark needed. When sent down his winning numbers in Buffalo fell to 3-10. Hopes were high for improvement, but the Jays secretly knew he was going have to move on. Putting up great numbers in Triple A, Boyd briefly had a two game spell in July but after two heavy defeats (including a disastrous one inning performance against Boston) his major league future with Toronto was doubtful.
After securing a heavy one-two punch in just two days, these trades represent just what Anthopoulous is aiming for this year. Price at 29 years old is one of the better pitchers in baseball today who is hungry to championship. His winning record of 99-55 with an ERA of 3.13 is one of the better numbers in today's game. Getting an All Star pitcher is one way towards a playoff berth, which Toronto hasn't seen in 22 years. Tulowitzki is an incredible piece of business for this team and his lifetime batting average of .299 with 1,168 hits and 189 home runs fits in perfectly with the heaving hitting Jays team. The only real concern is his health because since his rookie season in 2007, he has only managed 117 games per season.
Toronto has been willing to put the future on the line with these two trades. Some may see this as little too ambitious for an under-performing team. The buzz surrounding the Greater Toronto Area however is one indication that the fans agree on all levels.
This move came a big but very welcome surprise to Jays fans and it is a move that has bolstered their already thriving offense. There were rumblings that Tulo wasn't made aware of the deal until moments before and that he wasn't at all happy. Any baseball fan could probably side with his mentality here because his entire career had been played at Coors Field. Despite any misgivings, he still gave Toronto fans a debut to remember with a home run blast in an 8-2 win over the Phillies. Given a standing ovation before his first at-bat, the Jays fans have already embrace this guy as one of them. Tulowitzki was a big chip for the Blue Jays to cash in and it was one that came at the cost of some interesting prospects.
Reyes had been popular with fans at the Rogers Centre since his arrival in 2012. However, even though he was a capable lead off hitter and had solid base running skills, the fielding errors were becoming too frequent. At Colorado he now has a new lease of life and even though he has a hard job winning over fans in Denver- his spirit and jovial persona will go a little way towards helping. One similarity that he shares with Tulowitzki is that both are prone to injury, a fact that has caused both sets of fans concerns! Castro and Hoffman had been continually mentioned as being a key part of the Jays future. The sad reality was that neither one was guarantee the game time they so badly needed. Hoffman had struggled with his arm since being drafted in 2014 and didn't seem ready for the show. Castro was given a brief taste of Major League action this year when he after an impressive debut against the Yankees, he was made closer almost immediately. The 20 year old had a powerful arm and a striking 6"5 frame, but when put into the pressure situation it was apparent he was way out of his depth. Although both fans and personnel hoped for a change, the Blue Jays were forced to send him down to Triple A level.
One major shock came today when after missing out on Cole Hamels to Texas, the Blue Jays snagged one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. David Price was traded from Detroit in exchange for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt. Toronto has needed another key starter outside of Mark Buerhle all season and Anthopoulous has pulled out the stops and gotten what his team needed. Norris was a star in spring training this year, but when moved to the starting rotation he just couldn't find the spark needed. When sent down his winning numbers in Buffalo fell to 3-10. Hopes were high for improvement, but the Jays secretly knew he was going have to move on. Putting up great numbers in Triple A, Boyd briefly had a two game spell in July but after two heavy defeats (including a disastrous one inning performance against Boston) his major league future with Toronto was doubtful.
After securing a heavy one-two punch in just two days, these trades represent just what Anthopoulous is aiming for this year. Price at 29 years old is one of the better pitchers in baseball today who is hungry to championship. His winning record of 99-55 with an ERA of 3.13 is one of the better numbers in today's game. Getting an All Star pitcher is one way towards a playoff berth, which Toronto hasn't seen in 22 years. Tulowitzki is an incredible piece of business for this team and his lifetime batting average of .299 with 1,168 hits and 189 home runs fits in perfectly with the heaving hitting Jays team. The only real concern is his health because since his rookie season in 2007, he has only managed 117 games per season.
Toronto has been willing to put the future on the line with these two trades. Some may see this as little too ambitious for an under-performing team. The buzz surrounding the Greater Toronto Area however is one indication that the fans agree on all levels.
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